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Let in the ftreme, which with gret paine
If ever man it shal reftreigne.

Where lawe lacketh errour groweth,
He is nought wife who that ne troweth,
For it hath proved oft er this,

And thus the comun clamour is

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His god, whiche ever stant in one,
In him there is defaute none.
So must it ftonde upon us felve,
Nought only upon ten ne twelve,
But plenerlich upon us alle,
For man is cause of that fhal falle.
And netheles yet fom men write
And fain fortune is to wite,
And fom men holde opinion
That it is conftellacion,

Which caufeth al that a man dothe.
God wot of bothe whiche is fothe.
The worlde as of his propre kinde
Was ever untrew and as the blinde
Improperlich he demeth fame,

He blameth that is nought to blame

Nota contra hoc, quod aliqui fortem fortune, aliqui influenciam planetarum ponunt, per quod ut dicitur rerum eventus neceffario contingit, fed pocius dicendum eft, quod ea que nos profpera et adversa in hoc mundo vocamus fecundum merita et demerita hominum, digno dei judicio proveniunt.

And preiseth that is nought to preise.
Thus whan he shall the thinges peise,
Ther is deceipte in his balaunce
And al is that the variaunce

Of us, that shulde us better avife.
For after that we fall and rife

The worlde arifte and falleth with al,

So that the man is over al

His owne cause of wele and wo.
That we fortune clepe fo

Out of the man him felfe it groweth,

And who that other wife troweth
Beholde the people of Israel.

For ever while they deden wel
Fortune was hem debonaire,

And whan they deden the contraire
Fortune was contrariende.

So that it proveth wel at ende,
Why that the worlde is wonderful

And

may no while ftonde ful, Though that it feme wel befein, For every worldes thinge is vein And ever goth the whele aboute And ever ftant a man in doute, Fortune ftant no while ftille. So hath ther no man al his wille, Als far as ever a man may knowe There lafteth no thing but a throwe. The world stant ever upon debate, amaritudine afper- So may be fiker none estate,

Boetius. O, quam dulcedo humane vite multa

fa eft.

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Stant, why no worldes thing may laste,

Til it be drive to the laste,

And fro the firfte regne

of all

Unto this day how so befall

Of that the regnes be mevable,
The man him felf hath be coupable,
Whiche of his propre governaunce
Fortuneth al the worldes chaunce.

Profper et adverfus obliquo tramite verfus
Immundus mundus decipit omne genus.
Mundus in eventu verfatur ut alea cafu,
Quam celer in ludis jactat avara manus.
Sicut ymago viri variantur tempora mundi,
Statque nihil firmum preter amare deum.
The high almighty purveiaunce,
In whose eterne remembraunce
From first was every thing prefent,
He hath his prophecie sent

In fuche a wife, as thou fhalt here,

To Daniel of this matere,

5.

Hic in prologo tractat de ftatua illa, quam rex Nabugodonofor viderat in fompnis, cuius caput aureum, pectus argenteum, venter eneus, tibie ferree, pedum vero quedam pars ferrea, quedam fictilis videbatur, fub qua mem

How that this world fhal torne and wende brorum diverfitate fe

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Hic narrat ulterius de quodam lapide

grandi, qui ut in

As Nabugodonofor flepte

A fweven him toke, the whiche he kepte

Til on the morwe he was arife,
For he therof was fore agrife.

Til Daniel his dreme he tolde

And praid him faire, that he wolde
Arede what it token may

And faide: a bedde where I lay
Me thought I figh upon a stage,
Where stood a wonder ftraunge ymage.
His hed with al the necke also
They were of fine gold, bothe two
His breft, his fhulders and his armes
Were al of filver, but tharmes,

The wombe and al down to the kne
Of bras they were upon to se,
His legges were al made of steel,
So were his feet also fomdele,
And fomdele part to hem was take
Of erthe, which men pottes make.
The feble meind was with the strong,
So might it nought wel ftonde long.

And tho me thought, that I figh
A great ftone from an hill on high
dicto fompnio vide- Fell down of fodein aventure
batur ab excelfo
monte fuper fta- Upon the feet of this figure,
With which stone al to-broke was
Gold, filver, erthe, steel and bras,
That al was into pouder brought
And fo forth torned into nought.

tuam corruens ipfam quafi in nichilum penitus contrivit.

This was the fweven which he had,
That Daniel anone arad

And faide him: that figure ftraunge
Betokeneth how the world shal chaunge
And waxe laffe worth and laffe,
Til it to nought all over passe.
The necke and hed, that weren golde,
He faide how that betoken sholde
A worthy worlde, a noble, a riche
To which none after shal be liche.

Of filver that was over forthe
Shal ben a worlde of laffe worthe.
And after that the wombe of bras
Token of a wers worlde it was.
The steel which he figh afterward
A world betokeneth more hard.

But
yet the werfte of every dele
Is laft, that whan of erth and steel

He figh the feet departed fo,
For that betokeneth mochel wo.
Whan that the world devided is,
It mot algate fare amis,

For erth, which meined is with steel,
To-gider may nought laste wele,

But if that one that other waste,
So mot it nedes fail in hafte.

The ftone, whiche fro the hilly stage
He figh down falle on that

ymage

And hath it into pouder broke,
That fweven hath Daniel unloke

Hic loquitur de interpretacione fompnii, et primo dicit de fignificacione capitis aurei.

De pectore argenteo.

De ventre eneo.

De tibeis ferreis.

De fignificacione pedum, qui ex duabus materiis difcordantibus ad invicem divifi extiterunt.

De lapidis ftatuam confringentis fignificacione.

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